Sweet dreams are made of these
As I mentioned in the previous post, I spent a portion of my weekend doing some shopping. I’ve had a fascination with custom made dress shirts ever since I saw this service offered in the men’s department at Nordstrom a few years back. I think that, barring the obvious expense, I’d probably have all of my shirts custom made. They would then always fit right at the collar, chest, and waist, and the arms would be the right length, which is not always achieved by the ready-to-wear shirts I currently buy. And yes, it’s the expense that’s keeping me from it. One custom made shirt runs from about $200-$300 dollars and the end price generally depends on the fabric you choose.
Shopping for a custom made shirt is really FUN. There are SO many choices to be made!! I know that if I ever really get serious about buying one I think I’d like a gray fabric with black stripes, or, the other way round. From the research we conducted the big thing is getting sized. Collar first, and working South from there. You get to pick how you’d like the cuffs sewn. If you’d like buttons, or French cuffs, or if you’d like a certain angle cut into the edge or trim of the cuff. Next you get to choose how you would like the back of the shirt to be sewn, in either one or two panels, and if you’d like one, two, or no pleats, which are sewn in where the back meets the yoke (shoulder piece) and adds fullness to the shirt. The next choice is in what kind of collar you’d like, and how the points of the collar will fall at the front of the shirt. That’s about it.
That’s about it unless you’d like to get even MORE personalized options added into your shirt, like a panel of fabric that hides the buttons, or if you’d like the cuff or pockets (if you choose to have a pocket) monogrammed. See? This is awesome!!
So, yeah. It’s expensive. And if you don’t often have the occasion to wear a dress shirt, one that is custom made is probably financially out of reach for most of us. But for me? I’m thinking that when I’m as fit as I’d like to be (and stay there for a while) I will reward myself with a custom shirt. For now though, I’ll keep this on the coveting list and hopefully be moving on from there.
The Sartorial Butch 
November 10, 2009 at 2:42 AM
I’m majorly covetous of custom dress shirts, too, and don’t even get me started on custom suits. Someday when I strike it rich…
November 10, 2009 at 1:37 PM
I wonder about the possibility of finding a fashion design student who would try doing a custom shirt for someone for less than you’d be charged by a clothier? Custom shirts are nice– I know someone who had two shirts and a custom suit made for them when they were living in Thailand. I’d love a custom suit–women’s suits are cut wrong and men’s suits are way too long in the sleeves on me.
January 24, 2010 at 6:19 PM
Check out local tailors which tend to be much cheaper. 10 years ago I used to have many of my french cuff dress shirts custom made because I really need a 31 1/2″ sleeve. The cost then for single color, no pattern french cuff shirts was around 80-100. I havent checked them lately, but suspect it would be less than $200.
February 26, 2010 at 12:27 AM
[…] a note about suits. When I wrote about custom made shirts last year I talked about it being a dream. That they are expensive, but that they fit better than […]
May 10, 2010 at 9:49 PM
Just a note – there is less expensive (though not nearly as cheap as off the rack) options for custom shirtings. I use someone out of NYC (www.propercloth.com), and it works out well. If you’re in the city, Seph can take your measurements. If not, have a tailor take your measurements, and then send them to Seph at PC. There are definitely some pricey options, but there are also $99 options, if you can swing it.
May 11, 2010 at 2:27 AM
Great Hints! Thanks for reading.
May 11, 2010 at 4:31 PM
Thanks for this!!!